liverpool irish festival 2013 programme

Bringing Liverpool and Ireland together

10th-20th October 2013Festival Hotline: 07804 286145www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

WelcomeWelcome to the 11th Liverpool Irish Festival, by now (to the Liverpool Echo at least) the ‘most successful Irish cultural festival in the UK.’

Look through these pages and you may come to share that view. Better still, come to the events and enjoy the Festival Club after the shows, a new experience we have sought to provide for some time.

You will see that besides the variety of activity, from humour to heritage, from cinema to céilís, the music events are, dare I say it, stronger than ever this year. It’s a hugely impressive line-up that you will not see replicated anywhere else. That’s as it should be in Liverpool, with its unique links with Ireland.

Besides films, family days, music sessions and workshops, you can choose to unearth some of the city’s historical links on the bespoke walking tours or talks on the centenary of the 1913 Dublin lockout. Christy Moore graces the stage of Liverpool Philharmonic again as do the brilliant Irish Sea Sessions but there is a legion of newcomers, too, such as Luka Bloom, Pat Shortt, and Sean Keane.

As Liverpool novelist Niall Griffiths writes: ‘Ireland runs through Liverpool like a seam of coal, in the accent, the musicality, the lexical wordplay, the swagger.’ You will find this and much more in our celebration of Liverpool and Ireland. I hope you will find much to enjoy in this Festival.

John ChandlerChair, Liverpool Irish Festival

Festival Ticketing

For the first time we have introduced a multibuy ticketing scheme: purchasers of tickets for at least one Festival event from each of three categories will get ticket discounts and a free Festival Club Pass. Further details of Your Festival ticketing and an online application form are on the Festival website.

Tickets for Festival events can bepurchased directly through the FestivalWebsite: www.livepoolirishfestival.com or online, by phone or in person through our partner, Liverpool Philharmonic’s box office - 0151 709 3789

Festival Club

Concert over? Play finished? Talkedout? Film got to The End? Come ondown to the Festival Club, meet up withyour friends and make new ones, and beentertained by some of Liverpool’s finestplayers as well as many of the guestmusicians taking part in the Festival!

The Festival Club will run from 10.30pmon Thursday, Friday and Saturday nightsduring the Festival at The Zanzibar Club.It is hosted by Alan O’Hare (Thursdays),and Ian Prowse (Fridays and Saturdays.)Priority admission is to Festival Club Pass-holders: these are issued free to people joining the multibuy ticketing scheme, or available to purchase for £12, subject to availability, from September 1st. Door admission for non pass-holderswill be £5 per night, subject to availability.

Interested at performing at the Festival Club? Visit www.liverpoolirishfestival.com/the-festival-club/

The Zanzibar Club, 43 Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4AZ, Tel. 0151 707 0633

www.thezanzibarclub.co.uk

The Festival Club Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night at The Zanzibar 2

Irish PostTHE

Your passport to the best news for the Irish in Britain

In stores every Wednesdaywww.irishpost.co.uk

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Traditional Music SessionsFriday 11th October, 9pmPeter Kavanagh’s2-6 Egerton Street, L8 7LYFREE ADMISSION

Peter Kavanagh’s is one of Liverpool’s most atmospheric pubs, great ales and great music – who could ask for more? Come along and join in.

Monday 14th October, 9pmThe Edinburgh4 Sandown Lane, L15 8HYFREE ADMISSION

The ‘Eddie’ is the home of Liverpool’s top weekly traditional music session – it’s tiny, so be prepared to make new friends! Come along and join .

Saturday 19th October, 10.30pmSt. Michael’s Irish Centre6 Boundary LaneWest Derby Road, L6 5JGFREE ADMISSION

St. Michael’s is the base for the local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann – the worldwide organisation dedicated to the teaching and development of Irish traditional music. Following the Sean Keane concert earlier in the evening there will be a late session – see Sean and then stay behind, make a night of it! Come along and join in.

Liverpool Irish Heritage Walking and Coach ToursWalking tour tickets: £7 and £5 (concessions)Coach tour tickets: £10 Booking essential - Book online via the website Or phone 07854 415721

Join us on these fascinating tours around Irish Liverpool:

City Centre NorthSaturday 12th October, 2pmMeet at St. Luke’s Gardens, Leece Street, L1 2TRPriests, paupers and politicsFrom the glories of Empire to the darkest depth of the Irish Famine, from Braddock’s egg to the footsteps of O’Connell, Larkin and Parnell, the city’s Irish links are revealed.

City Centre SouthSunday 13th October, 11amWednesday 16th October, 2pmMeet at St. Luke’s Gardens, Leece Street, L1 2TRNuns knaves and nursesAs old buildings yield up their stories, many questions are answered. Who was the white angel and where is she now? Who came for a weekend and stayed twenty years? What happened to the Bishop’s coach?

Scotland RoadSunday 13th October, 2pmSaturday 19th October, 2pmMeet at Juvenal Street, L3 3BE

Explore Liverpool’s former Irish district, with local experts, encountering tunnels of all sorts, stories of days long gone… and old ghosts.

Liverpool Irish Heritage Coach Tour: Larkin’s LiverpoolSunday 20th October, 10amMeet at The Bluecoat, School Lane, L1 3BX

A special tour linked to the anniversary of the 1913 Dublin Lockout. The tour will visit the birthplace of Jim Larkin, places in Liverpool associated with him, sites associated with the Liverpool General Strike of 1911, and the Clarence Dock Gates.

For tickets and latest information visit www.liverpoolirishfestival.com 5

Pádraig Rynne, Dónal Lunny & Sylvain Barouplus Rioghnach Connolly

Thursday 10 October, 7.30pmThe Epstein Theatre, Hanover House, Hanover StreetTickets £16, £14 when bought as part of the Your Festival Packagewww.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 378

Rynne, Lunny and Barou are three names which, individually, would excite any traditional music fan. As a group they have a chemistry that produces more than the sum of their parts.

Dónal has been at the forefront of Irish music over the last 50 years being a founding member of important bands such as Planxty, Moving Hearts and The Bothy Band. Pádraig and Sylvain are founder members of Guidewires, one of the most exciting bands to emerge in Irish music in recent years.

Rioghnach Connolly is an Armargh born singer and flautist firmly rooted in her traditional sean-nos background – whilst adding in a touch of Appalachia, Blues and Jazz.


Luka Bloom plus Dominic Dunn

Friday October 11th, 7.30pmThe Zanzibar Club,43 Seel Street, L1 4AZTickets £12 adv, £15 door if available, £10 adv when bought as part of the Your Festival Package

Luka has enjoyed more than twenty years of success worldwide. Since the release of one of the all-time Irish classics ‘Riverside’ recorded in 1990, people from all corners of the globe have embraced the true beauty of this remarkable musician. He has a catalogue of quality recordings that any songwriter would aspire to.

Luka comes from a family of Irish singers and songwriters and he first went on tour many moons ago with older brother Christy Moore. In 1987 Luka went to the US and toured with The Pogues, The Violent Femmes, Hothouse Flowers and The Cowboy Junkies. He has enjoyed many years of successful worldwide tours since.

Dominic Dunn is a 16 year old singer, songwriter and self-taught musician from Kirkdale in Liverpool. He has an innovative style, heavily influenced by jazz, folk, bluegrass and ragtime; all fused together with a contemporary twist.

‘…someone whose quest is far from over,

but whose comfort in his own skin bears testament

to a road well travelled. And the music’s not half-bad either. Magnificent.’Siobhán Long - The Irish Times


From ‘special position’ to special pleadingChanging church / state relations in Ireland since 1937

A talk by Doctor Kevin Bean

Saturday 12th October, 10amInstitute of Irish Studies1 Abercromby SquareFree admission

A Liverpool Irish CelebrationSaturday 12th October, 10am-4pmMuseum of Liverpool, Pier Head, L3 1DGFree admission

Once again Liverpool Irish Festival visits the UK’s most popular museum outside of London. As you enter the museum you will see the traditional musicians playing away in the Atrium, you can join a whistle-stop tour of exhibits dedicated to the story of the Irish in Liverpool, see one of Liverpool’s finest Irish dance schools strutting their stuff and watch a performance by children fromOur Lady & St. Swithin’s Primary School telling the story of our city’s Irish roots. Our celebration of Irish Liverpool will also include a talk by Tony Birtill - Liverpool born Irish teacher and journalist – as he launches his publication ‘The Irish language in Liverpool’ with new research showing the importance of the Irish language in the history of the city – there are still more events to be announced. We are sure that they will include a ceili for all the family! The tour of the exhibits will be at 11am and will be free. However, it is essentialto book ahead as places will be limited. Tel: 07854 415721. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol


Thomas McCarthySaturday 12 October, 5pmRodewald Suite,Liverpool Philharmonic HallTickets £6 adv £8 door - £4 adv when bought as part of Your Festival Packagewww.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 3789

Thomas McCarthy is an Irish traveller whose family is from Co. Offaly. He grew up travelling around Britain and on the travellers’ site under the elevated A40 – the Westway– in London. He also often spent months at a time with his grandfather in Birr in central Ireland, learning most of his songs within the family.

Since being ‘discovered’ by the folk scene five years ago, he has made many new fans and friends (he is currently appearing with the Mercury Prize nominated Sam Lee). McCarthy’s unaccompanied singing style is intense and personal and his repertoire unusual and engaging.

Christy Moorewith Declan Sinnott

Saturday 12 October, 8pmLiverpool Philharmonic HallTickets £30, £32.50, £38.50www.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 3789

The iconic Irish singer-songwriter returns to Liverpool Philharmonic Hall for the Liverpool Irish Festival 2013 following sell-out performances in 2008, 2010 and 2012. His stature and influence in Irish roots music is unparallelled.

For this concert he is, once again, accompanied by his long-term producer, collaborator and friend, Declan Sinnott.

There is no support and the show will start at 8pm.

www.christymoore.com

‘Sometimes whispering, sometimes shouting, he has superb diction that gets every word across. From tales of the Spanish Civil War to 80s unemployment and the most heartfelt love songs, the richness comes through the meaning dripping from every line.’ Liverpool Echo

‘He is still in a league of his own.’ The Guardian


Jarlath Killeen and ‘The Wilde West’Sunday 13th October, 2.30pmBluecoatSchool Lane, L1 3BXFREE, however booking ahead is advised as places will be limited

Jarlath Killeen explores the life and work of Oscar Wilde

Jarlath Killeen lectures in Victorian Literature in Trinity College Dublin.

He has published four monographs: two on Oscar Wilde - The Faiths of Oscar Wilde (Palgrave, 2005) and The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde (Ashgate, 2007) - and two on Gothic literature: Gothic Ireland (Four Courts Press, 2005) and Gothic Literature, 1825-1914 (University of Wales Press, 2009).

His most recent publication is an edited volume of essays on Oscar Wilde for Irish Academic Press.

Lovehistory present

Irish LiverpoolSunday 13th October, 4pmSt. Luke’s ‘Bombed Out’ ChurchCorner of Leece St. and Berry St, L1 2TRTickets £7 / £6 concessionsTo book call: 0151 546 5514 / 07714 402141Or email [email protected]

This promenade performance will take place in the spectacular setting of St Luke’s Church. The performance will commemorate those who lost their lives in the Great Famine of the 1840s and celebrate those who helped shape Liverpool into the city it is today.

This gripping dramatisation will take you on a journey through the story of Liverpool’s Irish ancestry. You will hear tales from an Irish immigrant woman who describes her heartbreaking journey from Ireland, a Liverpool merchant debating the ‘problem of the Irish’, and an activist who fought for better living conditions for those escaping the famine that destroyed thousands of lives.

In keeping with the Irish theme Lovehistory will also entertain you with songs and music from our Irish past that will surely have you singing your hearts out!

As part of the Festival, Lovehistory will work with a team of Little Explorers from Our Lady & St. Swithin’s Catholic Primary School on a series of drama-based workshop. Performances will be held at Liverpool Museum on Saturday 12th as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival’s Family Day. www.lovehistory.co.uk

Box Officeliverpoolphil.com0151 709 3789

What’s onat Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Bright Phoebus RevisitedThe Songs of Lal& Mike WatersonMonday 14 October 7.30pm £20, £26

The story of a ‘lost’ classic album, featuring: ElizaCarthy, Martin Carthy, Richard Hawley, MarryWaterson, Norma Waterson, Olly Waterson, JohnSmith, Kami Thompson.–

Ardal O'HanlonSaturday 2 November 8pm £20, £26

The star of Father Ted and a brilliant performerwith a sharp comic brain makes his LiverpoolPhilharmonic debut.–

Bain, Möller & MolskySaturday 9 November 7.30pmSt George’s Hall Concert Room £15

A melodically and rhythmically excitingcollaboration by three of the world’s leading folkmusicians sharing their Celtic, Nordic andAppalachian cultures.

BreabachSaturday 2 & Sunday 3 November 8pmRodewald Suite, Liverpool Philharmonic £15

Best Group at the most recent Scots Trad MusicAwards, the band intertwine highland bagpipes,fiddle, guitar, bass, flute, bouzouki, step dance,Gaelic and Scots song.–Fisherman’s Blues Revisited

The WaterboysSunday 8 December 8pm £25-£34.50

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their classicalbum Fisherman’s Blues and The Waterboys’material from that era.–

Mary Black & ClannadWednesday 19 March 2014 7.30pm£28.50-£37.50

Two of Ireland's musical icons share the stage,performing both separate sets and together.

Main image: Breabach

Irish Festival Ad 148x210_Layout 1 05/07/2013 14:37 Page 1


Family Ceili featuring The Liverpool Ceili BandSunday 13th October, 3pmSt. Michael’s Irish Centre6 Boundary Lane,West Derby Road, L6 5JGTickets £5 from St. Michael’s 0151 263 1808 or on the door if available

Ever since the old Irish Centre on Mount Pleasant closed seventeen years ago, St. Michael’s has been the beating heart of the local Irish community, offering classes, clubs and concerts on a weekly basis.

The Liverpool Ceili Band was the local Irish community’s greatest ‘calling card’ with a reputation throughout the Irish world, winning competitions throughout the 60’s and even appearing on ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’ on St. Patrick’s Day 1963!

Time moves on, but the 2013 version of Liverpool’s Ceili Band will play for us at this year’s Festival Ceili. You don’t have to know what to do, the caller will set you straight, come on down and join in the fun.

www.stmichaelsirishcentre.org

Irish ShortsA programme of classic and contemporary short films curated by Úna Feely of IndieCork Film Festival

Sunday 13th and Monday 14th October, 6.30pmPicturehouse at FACT88 Wood Street, L1 4DQTickets £7, bookings 08717 902 5737 or visit www.picturehouses.co.uk

IndieCork’s Una Feely brings us some of the best and most interesting short films produced in Ireland this year, as well as some of the great shorts of the past.

Once again the screenings will be introduced by some of Ireland’s finest young filmmakers, and this year they will be joined by David Quin, one of Irelands foremost animation directors. IndieCork is a new festival of independent cinema based in Cork, Ireland.

Full details of films screening and guest filmmakers available at www.liverpoolirishfestival.com www.indiecork.com


Since coming together as a duo five years ago, Lumiere have grown from strength to strength, bringing their distinct sound from the cosy pub snugs of their native Kerry to international concert halls around the world, and now to Liverpool’s Sefton Park Palm House.

With a craft steeped in the traditions and historical sweep of Irish song writing, Éilís Kennedy and our featured musician of the Festival, Pauline Scanlon, are “two distinct voices cut from the same geographical cloth”, delivering each song with intensity, earthiness and feeling, and giving their performance a strong sense of place.

Pauline Scanlon can also be seen as part of The Irish Sea Sessions 2013, performing at Liverpool Philharmonic on October 18th (see page 20) and will deliver a vocal workshop the following day (see page 21).

Singer songwriter Anna Corcoran hails originally from Formby on Merseyside. Anna has spent the last years performing nationwide, winning a reputation for innovative arrangements of classic songs with her beautiful voice and soulful playing.

Lumiere plus Anna Corcoran

Sunday 13 October, 7.30pmSefton Park Palm HouseTickets £12.50 adv. from Liverpool Philharmonic box office, £15 on door (if available) Tel: 0151 709 3789 or www.liverpoolphil.com


Anne Devlin (PG) Pat Murphy (1984)

Tuesday 15th October, 6.30pm

Murphy’s second feature is based on the life of the housekeeper of Robert Emmet, leader of the failed Irish Rising of 1803.

Drawing on her training in London and New York, and eliciting a tremendous central performance from actor Bríd Brennan, Murphy creates a bona fide classic of feminist cinema which uses the marginalised perspective of a poor female servant to question the received wisdom of Irish revolutionary history.

Michael Collins(15) Neil Jordan (1996)

Wednesday 16th October6.30pm

The possibility of a film about one of Ireland’s most mythologised revolutionary figures had been kicking around Hollywood for a number of years before Jordan got the green light to write and direct it.

Jordan exploited the biggest budget of his career to date, as well as the iconographical power of A-lister Liam Neeson, to create a variation on the classic Hollywood biopic. Michael Collins offers an image of the Irish revolutionary hero still relevant today.

Hunger (15) Steve McQueen (2008)

Friday 18th October6.30pm

McQueen’s extraordinary debut won the prestigious Caméra d’Or for first-time film-makers at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Featuring a career-defining role by Michael Fassbender it tells the story of Bobby Sands, Member of Parliament and leader of the IRA Hunger Strikes of 1981.

The film is particularly noteworthy for its take on the relationship between political commitment, representation and heroism in both an Irish and a wider international context.

The Irish RevolutionaryCinema is an art form particularly suited to the exploration and representation of revolutions and revolutionaries.

This short series presented and introduced by Dr. Gerry Smyth, Reader in Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University, offers three compelling examples culled from modern Irish history.

Picturehouse at FACT, 88 Wood Street, L1 4DQTickets £7, bookings 08717 902 5737 or visit www.picturehouses.co.uk


THURSDAY 10TH

RYNNE, LUNNY & BAROU The Epstein Theatre, 7.30pm

FESTIVAL CLUBThe Zanzibar, 10.30pm

FRIDAY 11TH

LUKA BLOOMThe Zanzibar Club. 7.30pm

MUSIC SESSION Peter Kavanagh’s. 9pm


SATURDAY 12TH

SATURDAY LECTUREInstitute of Irish Studies, 10am

FAMILY DAYMuseum of Liverpool, 10am-4pm

HERITAGE WALK – NORTHSt. Luke’s Gardens, 2pm

THOMAS MCCARTHYRodewald Suite, 5pm

CHRISTY MOORELiverpool Philharmonic Hall, 8pm


SUNDAY 13TH

HERITAGE WALK – SOUTHSt. Luke’s Gardens, 11am

HERITAGE WALK – SCOTLAND RD. Juvenal St., 2pm

OSCAR WILDEThe Bluecoat, 2.30pm

FAMILY CEILISt. Michael’s, 3pm

IRISH LIVERPOOL St. Luke’s, 4pm

IRISH SHORT FILMSFACT, 6.30pm

LUMIERESefton Park Palm House, 7.30pm

MONDAY 14TH

THE STAR TURNS REDLantern Theatre, 6.30pm

IRISH SHORT FILMSFACT, 6.30pm

MUSIC SESSIONThe Edinburgh, 9pm

TUESDAY 15TH

RED ROSES FOR MELantern Theatre, 7.30pm

ANN DEVLINFACT, 6.30pm

ODIThe Garden at FACT, 8pm

DERVISHThe Atkinson, Southport, 7.30pm

PAT SHORTTUnity Theatre, 8pm

WEDNESDAY 16TH

HERITAGE WALK – SOUTHSt. Luke’s Gardens, 2pm

MICHAEL COLLINSFACT, 6.30pm

AT SIXES AND SEVENSVictoria Gallery & Museum, 6pm

JIM AND DELIAThe Casa, 8pm

ANDY IRVINERodewald Suite, 8pm

DAMIEN DEMPSEYThe Kazimier, 7.30pm

THURSDAY 17TH

ADAM AND PAUL + LENNY ABRAHAMSONFACT, 6.30pm

LANGUAGE, RESISTANCE AND REVIVALThe Bluecoat, 7pm

ANDY IRVINERodewald Suite, 8pm


FRIDAY 18TH

HUNGERFACT, 6.30pm

IRISH SEA SESSIONS 2013Liverpool Philharmonic Hall,7.30pm


SATURDAY 19TH

HERITAGE WALK – SCOTLAND RD.Juvenal St., 2pm

VOCAL WORKSHOPRodewald Suite, 2pm

COMING TOGETHER THROUGH MUSICSt. Luke’s, 2pm

TWO PARTS OF FLANN O’BRIENFly in the Loaf, 6pm

SEAN TAYLOR WITH DANNY THOMPSONThe Zanzibar Club, 7.30pm

SEAN KEANESt. Michael’s, 8.30pm

MUSIC SESSIONSt. Michael’s, 10.30pm


SUNDAY 20TH

HERITAGE COACH TOURThe Bluecoat, 10am

DUBLIN LOCKOUTThe Bluecoat, 1pm

TWO PARTS OFFLANN O’BRIENFly in the Loaf, 1.30pm

YOUNG PEOPLES CONCERTSefton Park Palm House, 2pm

FAMILY CEILISefton Park Palm House, 4pm

THE RAMBLING BOYS OF PLEASURESefton Park Palm House, 7.15pm

2013 at a glance...


2013 Venues and Booking InformationLiverpool Philharmonic Hall & Rodewald Suite Hope St, L1 9BP Box Office 0151 709 3789www.liverpoolphil.com

St. Michael’s Irish Centre6 Boundary Lane, West Derby Road, L6 5JG

The Sefton Park Palm HouseSefton Park, L17 1AP

Peter Kavanagh’s2-6 Egerton Street, L8 7LY • 0151 709 3443

The Edinburgh4 Sandown Lane, L15 8HY • 0151 475 4393

The Epstein Theatre Hanover House, Hanover Street, L1 3DY

St. Luke’s ‘Bombed Out’ ChurchLeece Street / Berry Street, L1 2TR

The Bluecoat School Lane, L1 3BX

Picturehouse at FACT88 Wood Street, L1 4DQ08717 042063

Museum of Liverpool Pier Head, L3 1DG

Institute of Irish StudiesAbercromby Square, L7

Unity Theatre 1 Hope Place, L1 9BG

The Fly in the Loaf Hardman Street, L1 9AS

The Kazimier4-5 Wolstenholme Sq, L1 4JJ

The Victoria Gallery & MuseumUniversity of LiverpoolAshton Street, L69 3DR

The Zanzibar Club,43 Seel Street, L1 4AZ

The Casa29 Hope St, L1 9BQ

The Lantern Theatre57 Blundell Street, L1 0AJ

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As well as the packed programme of Liverpool Irish Festival, the City of Liverpool offers the perfect backdrop for an urban festival. With hotels from the budget to the boutique, great restaurants, a world-class waterfront, a wealth of architectural gems, brilliant museums and

galleries, an exceptional shopping centre, and fascinating heritage – including the greatest Liverpool Irish band of all time, The Beatles! So for accommodation and access to other information and resources to suit all pockets, go to VisitLiverpool.com

Visiting Liverpool?

16 The Festival Club Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night at The Zanzibar 16

Sean O’Casey’s ‘Red Roses for Me’ & ‘The Star Turns Red’Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th October, 7.30pmThe Lantern Theatre, 57 Blundell Street, L1 0AJTickets, £4; £2 (concessions)Booking: 0151 703 0000; [email protected]

This year sees the centenary of the Great Dublin Lockout, but no production of either of Sean O’Casey’s dramas of Irish labour unrest, Red Roses for Me or The Star Turns Red, is scheduled for production in Britain or Ireland. In a bid to set this to rights, the Lantern Theatre will stage a unique programme of rehearsed readings of the plays for Liverpool Irish Festival.

Each reading will be directed by Victor Merriman, Professor of Performing Arts, Edge Hill University, and will feature full casts, and will begin at 7.30 pm.

The reading of The Star Turns Red, on the 14th October, will be preceded by the launch of James Moran’s new book, The Theatre of Sean O’Casey, 6.30pm, for 7pm, with the reading to commence at 7.30pm. Red Roses for Me, which will feature live music, will be read on 15th October, at 7.30 pm.

www.thelanterntheatre.co.uk

DervishTuesday 15th October, 7:30 pmThe Atkinson,Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DBTickets £14 adv, £16 doorBox office: 01704 533333

County Sligo’s finest export, Dervish, are one of the premier line-ups in Irish traditional music.

Fronted as ever by singer Cathy Jordan -regarded by many as the most distinctive voice and finest frontwoman in Irish music today - the line-up of fiddle, flute, bouzouki, mandola, bodhran & accordion draw from seemingly limitless depths of finesse, subtlety and talent.

Playing together onstage, Dervish create one of the most distinctive yet expertly balanced sounds anywhere in traditional music, combining the fiery energy and mature complexity that have become their hallmarks.

Dervish are: Cathy Jordan, Tom Morrow, Liam Kelly, Shane Mitchel, Michael Holmes and Brian McDonagh

www.dervish.ie


Pat Shortt – I am the BandTuesday 15th October, 8pmUnity Theatre, 1 Hope Place, L1 9BGTickets £13 / £10.50 concessionsBook Online at www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.ukBox Office 0844 8732888

Irish Comedy legend Pat Shortt’s new one man show charts the life of Dixie Walsh, a solo lounge musician. The show is a tribute night to Dixie where all his peers and friends (the audience) come to celebrate his career. During the night Dixie reminisces about the path his career has taken and the struggles he has had to get to the top.

Pat Shortt is one of Ireland’s best loved comedians. As the character Dixie Walsh he had one of Ireland’s biggest selling number one singles, ‘Jumbo Breakfast Roll’. Until now the much loved Dixie was one of the characters in Pat’s shows - now Dixie takes centre stage to tell his life story and share his ‘unique’ music with you. Pat’s quirky interpretation of rural Irish characters brings to life Dixie’s mother, teacher and other locals who queue up to give their daft memories of Dixie and his music.

This is Pat Shortt’s first live appearance at Liverpool Irish Festiva; last year he starred as Josie in ‘Garage’, which was shown in the Irish Film Season at FACT.

At Sixes and SevensBook launch by the internationally acclaimed Northern Irish artist, Rita DuffyOrganised by The Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool

Wednesday 16th October, 6pmThe Victoria Gallery & MuseumUniversity of Liverpool, Ashton Street,L69 3DR

This is a ticket-only event as places are limited. If you wish to attend please contact:Dorothy Lynch, Development ManagerThe Institute of Irish Studies0151 794 3837, [email protected]

Rita Duffy will launch ‘At Sixes and Sevens’, a collaborative work between the well known Northern Irish Poet, Paul Muldoon and herself.

The book was the result of both Paul and Rita’s separate and collaborative work on the city of Derry. Rita’s drawings look at Derry’s past and present with all its turmoil and divisions: the drawings became a way of escaping over the ‘wall’.

Paul’s experiences are similar and are expressed through his poetry. This is a limited edition publication, only 150 copies being printed. Rita’s work featured in the book will be on display in the VGM on the night.


Mellowtone in association with Liverpool Irish Festival present

ODi Tuesday 15th October, 8pmThe Garden at FACTFree admission

ODi is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician who manages to blend elements of Joan Armatrading’s pathos, Beth Orton’s eye for the quirky and deep with a touch of Dido’s bed-sit romance to produce her own unique, captivating sound.

www.odimusic.co.uk

‘ODi’s debut is a lovely, lovely record’ Bob Harris BBC Radio 2

Radical Liverpool and Liverpool Irish Festival present

Jim and Delia Wednesday 16th October, 8pmThe Casa, 29 Hope St, L1 9BQFree admissionSongs , stories and humour of yesterday and today. A journey back to the Liverpool of James, Delia and Peter Larkin, in the anniversary year of the Dublin Lockout.

Music by, Our Morals, Reckless Elbow Stories, Greg Quiery www.radicalliverpool.comwww.reckless-elbow.com

Andy Irvine Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October, 8pmRodewald Suite,Liverpool Philharmonic HallTickets £12 adv (£10 adv when bought as part of Your Festival Package), £15 door from www.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 3789

Ireland’s influential music and pop culture magazine Hot Press said ‘Andy Irvine is Woody Guthrie’s representative on earth’. He is among the great Irish singers and his is one of a handful of truly great voices that gets to the very soul of Ireland.

He is a founding member of two groups that have inspired Irish traditional music makers for a generation, Sweeney’s Men and Planxty. This would be achievement enough for most, but Irvine has gone on to create THE Irish super group Patrick Street, and the Pan-European group Mosaik. Irvine is a pioneer and an icon for traditionalmusic and musicians.

www.andyirvine.com


DHP concerts in association with Liverpool Irish Festival present

Damien Dempseyplus support

Wednesday 16th October, 7.30pmThe Kazimier4-5 Wolstenholme Sq, L1 4JJ0151 324 1723Tickets £15 or £14 when bought as part of the Your Festival Package from www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

We are proud that a performance by Damien Dempsey has become one of the cornerstones of the Festival, whether as part of the Irish Sea Sessions, solo, or with his group. ‘Damo’ represents all that is vital within the Irish music scene - traditional but never looking backwards.

A folk singer with a rebel rocker’s heart, his voice is Dublin yet wholly distinctive. He is part of a rich bloodline of Irish singers from Luke Kelly to Ronnie Drew, Christy Moore to Andy Irvine - Springsteen and Guthrie, Dylan and Marley.

This year, Damien appears at The Kazimier, a venue that lets the audience get up close and personal!

‘It’s clear from the first moment he sings a note that Damien Dempsey is one astonishingly gifted individual’The Daily Express - 5* review of To Hell or Barbados

‘Adam and Paul’ and Lenny too!Thursday 17th October, 6.30pmPicturehouse at FACT88 Wood Street, L1 4DQTickets £7, bookings 08717 902 5737 or visit www.picturehouses.co.uk

A special Festival screening of director Lenny Abramson’s (Garage, What Richard Did) brilliant, first feature-length film, the stunning Adam and Paul (2004). ‘The best Irish film I’ve seen in years’ Derek Malcolm, the Guardian Adam & Paul is a stylised downbeat comedy written by Mark O’Halloran. It won the Best First Feature award at the 2004 Galway Film Fleadh and the Grand Prix at the 2005 Sofia International Film Festival. ‘Garage’, another collaboration with O’Halloran (shown at last year’s LIF), was selected for Directors’ Fortnight at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and won Best Film, Best Director, Best Script and Best Actor at the 2008 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs). ‘Prosperity’, his TV series for RTE, also won the Best Director for TV award 2008 at the Irish Film and Television Awards. ‘What Richard Did’, his third feature, was released in 2012 to critical acclaim.

The event will be introduced by Dr. Gerry Smyth, Reader in Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University.

There will be an after show discussion with the man himself, Lenny Abrahamson, taking a break from finishing off his fourth feature, Frank, a comedy about a young wannabe musician starring Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson.


The Irish Sea Sessions 2013Friday 18th October, 7.30pmLiverpool Philharmonic HallTickets £19.50. £20.50, £22.50, £28.50www.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 3789

The groundbreaking part super-group part sessions project returns with a radically new and exciting line up of the most talented musicians in their field.

Now in its fourth year, 13 hand-picked multi-instrumentalists and singers from traditional and contemporary music backgrounds, and from both sides of the Irish Sea, come together with the audience for another night of impassioned exposition of the shared music and the special bond between Liverpool and Ireland.

This year’s line-up includes: Declan O’Rourke, Robert Vincent, Pauline Scanlon, Alan Burke, Bernard O’Neill, Gino Lupari, Dave Munnelly, Neil Campbell, Terry Clarke-Coyne, Eamon Coyne, Mick Coyne, Sean Regan and Emily Portman.

www.irishseasessions.com

‘One of the highlights of the Liverpool musical year...people will boast for years to come – I was there’ Liverpool Echo


Writing on the Wall in association with Liverpool Irish Festival present

Language, Resistance andRevival: From Prison to Community

Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh and Phil Scraton

Thursday 17th October, 7pmThe Sandon Room,The Bluecoat, School Lane, L1 3BXTickets £4 / £2 concessions available from the Bluecoat Box Office or online at www.thebluecoat.org.uk

Author of Language, Resistance and Revival, Dr Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh reflects on his ground-breaking research with Republican former prisoners, analysing the Irish language as the medium of resistance to their incarceration in Long Kesh and inspiring its wider revival within Nationalist communities. Introduced by Professor Phil Scraton, Queen’s University Belfast.

Vocal Workshop with Pauline ScanlonSaturday 19th October, 2pm-4pmThe Rodewald SuiteLiverpool Philharmonic HallTickets £20, www.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 3789

Pauline Scanlon is the featured artist of this year’s Festival, appearing on the opening weekend with Eilis Kennedy in Lumiere and then later in the Festival in The Irish Sea Sessions.

Pauline is much more than ‘just’ a folk or traditional singer: her gorgeous voice suits all styles of singing. Join her for an intensive afternoon workshop and learn old and new styles.


Coming Together Through MusicA concert of music and dance presented by the young people of Ards (Co. Down) Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

Saturday 19th October, 2pmSt. Luke’s ChurchLeece St. / Berry St, L1 2TRAdmission FREE, though a donation to St. Luke’s would be appreciated

This talented group of over twenty young musicians and dancers are the special guests of the Festival. They are currently the Co. Down champions in their age group and In the last couple of years they have played at festivals all over Europe.

With the support of the Causeway Programme the young people are on a four-day visit to Liverpool, meeting and sharing experiences with the young people of St. Michael’s Irish Centre, comparing musical notes and joining together in rehearsals and concerts. As well as their solo show at St. Luke’s they will also be playing at local schools and joining their new friends from St. Michael’s at the Young People’s Concert in Sefton Park Palm House on Sunday 20th.

St Luke’s Church is a wonderful and atmospheric venue but its nickname ‘The Bombed Out Church’ gives a clue to its one drawback – it has no roof! So, in case of cold, wrap up warm!

Two Parts ofFlann O’BrienA two part performance dedicated to the life and times of Irelands great novelist, playwright and satirist.

Featuring: Lew Llewellyn, Andrew Sherlock and Gerry Smyth

Saturday 19th October, 6pm and Sunday 20th October, 1.30pmThe Fly in the Loaf, Hardman Street, L1 9ASTickets £5 adv from www.liverpoolirishfestival.com or 0151 709 3789 or, if available, £6 on the door

Will the Real Flann O’Brien ...?A Life in Five Scenes (45 min.)It’s April Fool’s Day 1966 and the Irish writer Flann O’Brien lies dying in a Dublin hospital. As he slips into unconsciousness he hallucinates a series of encounters with a variety of twentieth-century Irish luminaries, including Ernie O’Malley, James Joyce, Éamon de Valera and Samuel Beckett. The resulting conversations reveal a lot about O’Brien’s career, but even more about the modern history of the country in which he lived.

The Brother (45 min.)Based on the famous ‘Cruiskeen Lawn’ columns written for the Irish Times by Myles na Gopaleen (Flann O’Brien), The Brother presents three men talking and drinking in a Dublin bar on April 1st 1952. The fact that one of them - the eponymous ‘brother’ - is entirely absent does not hinder him from having an opinion on everything from the French fine art tradition to the danger of eggs!


Sean Taylor with Danny Thompson plus Dave O’Grady

Saturday 19th October, 7.30 pmThe Zanzibar Club43 Seel Street, L1 4AZTickets £6 adv, £5 adv when bought as part of the Your Festival Package £8 on the door if available

Sean Taylor has grown to be one of the hottest new names in the European blues / acoustic scene.

His incredible passion for performance, sheer talent and songwriting of the highest calibre leads to frequent comparisons with John Martyn, Neil Young and Tom Waits. Sean’s latest album Love Against Death has been hailed a masterpiece by reviewers in the UK and Europe.

Danny Thompson is the doyen of UK acoustic bass players having played with musicians as different as Ginger Baker and Kate Bush and, in particular, the late great John Martyn.

Dublin born but now based in Liverpool, Dave O’Grady, is a singer/songwriter whose haunting voice fuses Folk and Blues styles

www.seantaylorsongs.comwww.dannythompson.co.uk

Sean KeaneSaturday 19th October, 8.30 pmSt. Michael’s Irish Centre6 Boundary Lane, West Derby Road, L6 5JGTickets £12 from www.liverpoolphil.com or St Michael’s: 0151 263 1808

Sean Keane from County Galway has been described as the ‘greatest musical find of the 90s’ (The London Independent). Traditional Irish, folk and even country and blues songs all lend themselves to his unique style and unforgettable voice.

Sean embarked on his solo career in 1993, and six solo albums later continues to delight audiences all over the world with his live performances and recorded work.

The evening’s performance will be followed by a traditional Irish music session.

‘Keane can join Willie Nelson, June Tabor and Glen Campbell in that club of truly great and distinctive song interpreters’Mojo


The Great Dublin Lockout of 1913An afternoon of talks and discussion presented in association with the North West TUC

Sunday 20th October, 1pmThe Bluecoat, School Lane, L1 3BXTickets £5 from Bluecoat box office, 0151 702 5324 - booking ahead advised as places limited

The Great Dublin Lockout of 1913 was the culmination of a series of industrial conflicts in Ireland, which for a time even overshadowed the Home Rule crisis.

In 1907 the Liverpool-Irishman Jim Larkin arrived in Ireland as an organiser for the National Union of Dock Labourers. Larkin organised NUDL branches in most of Ireland’s ports, and in 1909 set up the Irish Transport and General Workers Union.

Increasing unionisation led to a backlash by the employers, this in turn led to rallies and strikes and ultimately the workers were locked out. Lasting from August 1913 to January 1914, the dispute, which at its heart was about the right to unionise, is often viewed as the most severe, divisive and significant labour struggle in Irish history.

Join us and some of the most authoritative commentators from both sides of the Irish Sea on the anniversary of this crucial event.

Speakers will include:

Padraig Yeates Irish Times industry and employment correspondent; author of Lockout: Dublin 1913 ‘1913: the Cinderella of Commemorations’

Francy Devine author of Organising History: A Centenary of SIPTU; 1909-2009 ‘The Irish Transport and General Workers Union and the Lockout’

Lynn Collins Regional Secretary, North West TUC ‘Women and the Lockout’.

Ron Noon Liverpool historian ‘Fred Bower, Larkin and Ireland’

Jimmy Kelly Unite Regional Secretary for Irish Region


Gala Young People’s ConcertSunday 20th October, 2pmSefton Park Palm HouseSefton Park, L17 1APFree admission

The Young People’s Concert is becoming a tradition on the last day of the annual Festival with over five hundred attending last year’s concert. This year we are in for a special treat: joining the boys and girls of the Liverpool branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eirrean will be a group of talented young musicians and dancers from Ards in County Down who are coming to Liverpool to take part in this year’s Festival.

We can expect an exciting programme of music with solos, duos, small groups and the combined might of the Liverpool and Ards youngsters showing off their music and dance skills.

Family CeiliSunday 20th October, 4pmSefton Park Palm HouseSefton Park, L17 1APTickets £5 / £2 children under 16, adv. from www.liverpoolirishfestival.com or 0151 7093789

Following on from the Young People’s Concert is the fab Family Ceili. With a mix of musicians from St. Michael’s Irish Centre, The Liverpool Ceili Band and our guests from County Down plus one of Merseyside’s top callers, the ceili is an event for all the family. No expertise is required, just energy, enthusiasm and a pair of feet!

Sunday at the Palm House We finish the 11th Liverpool Irish Festival in the glorious surroundings of Sefton Park Palm House

For a map and directions for all Palm House events please visit www.palmhouse.org.uk


Join us for a fabulous finish to the Festival, great food and then a concert with some of the finest players on the traditional music scene.

The Rambling Boys of Pleasure are a collection of Irish musicians who love to explore their music and look for new directions in which to take it.

The idea for the band has grown from the Festival’s Irish Sea Sessions over the past four years.

Having been brought up on songs that have travelled the globe and returned, they are fascinated by the journey these songs have taken and the influences they picked up on the way. Wherever they travel, the band work with local musicians and incorporate their music and culture into their set.

The Boys are:Bernard O’Neill, Gino Lupari, Alan Burke, David Munnelly and Sean Regan

www.ramblingboys.org

Liverpool Irish Festival Finale Supper ConcertThe Rambling Boys of PleasureSunday 20th October, 7.15pmSefton Park Palm HouseSefton Park, L17 1APDoors and Buffet Supper from 7.15pm, Show 8.15pmTickets £24 from www.liverpoolphil.com or 0151 709 3789

Canter Levin & Berg Solicitors are proud to continue their sponsorship of the Liverpool Irish Festival.

Supporting Community based projects in Merseyside

0151 239 1000 www.clblaw.co.uk

Come and raise a glass or two

with us at the inaugural Festival

Club which will be held in;

Zanzibar on Seel Street

from 10.30pm on Thursday,

Friday and Saturday nights

for the chance to mingle with

spectators and artists alike.

Find out more at

www.liverpoolirishfestival.com

Proud Sponsors

OUR PARTNERS:Liverpool Philharmonic Comhaltas Ceoltóirí ÉireannSt. Michael’s Irish CentreLiverpool University Institute of Irish StudiesThe Zanzibar ClubSefton Park Palm House

Unity TheatreLiverpool John Moores UniversityMuseum of LiverpoolLiverpool Hope UniversityMerseyside Dance InitiativePicturehouse at FACT

We are grateful in particular for the continuing support of Liverpool City Council and The Irish Government Emigrant Support Programme, Liverpool Philharmonic for overall support and box office facilities, Canter Levin and Berg for the Festival Club and our media partners, The Irish Post.

liverpool irish festival 2013 programme

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